The development of public sports in Iran, despite its direct impact on public health, social vitality, and the reduction of healthcare system costs, remains at the periphery of sports policymaking, where the dominance of the championship sports approach has hindered the formation of a cohesive program for "sports for all." The primary challenge is a sectoral perspective and the lack of a shared priority among numerous and parallel bodies in the domain of public sports; whereas this domain is a multidimensional phenomenon with individual, group, and social consequences, requiring cultural development and human resource enhancement. The weak status of sports in health documents, insufficient budgets, the absence of binding laws for the participation of public and private institutions, the subdued role of non-governmental organizations, and the lack of precise data regarding the amount and pattern of physical activity among the people constitute key obstacles in this field. Proposed strategies emphasize reforming governing structures, revising the comprehensive health document with a focus on physical activity, increasing the budget share of public sports, utilizing tobacco revenues, strengthening cooperation between the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Health, and formulating transparent laws to develop public participation. Furthermore, education from the primary level, utilizing the capacity of the clergy and the national media for cultural development, developing sports tourism, role-modeling influential figures, and designing a precise statistical system for future-oriented decision-making and planning are proposed as the main pathways for institutionalizing public sports.